


Candy Hearts Challenge Story

by Briar Rose (Byrcca)



Series: Confection Affection [3]
Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Candy Hearts Challenge, F/M, Golden Oldies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-11
Updated: 2019-06-11
Packaged: 2020-04-24 16:25:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19177024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Byrcca/pseuds/Briar%20Rose
Summary: The challenge: Set up a story idea and decide who will be your victim. When you get to the point where they'll have a line of dialogue, pull one of those disgusting, chalky candy 'conversation' hearts from the bag. That's the character's line. They can only speak through the candy hearts, and you're not allowed to mix up the dialogue - play them as pulled.Originally posted elsewhere in February 2003.





	Candy Hearts Challenge Story

**Author's Note:**

> Set sometime between The Q and the Grey, and Blood Fever I guess.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The staff meeting was endless, they always were. Engine efficiency down, crew grumbling up, food still bad, holodeck still overcrowded. Of course, Neelix’ new resort program was the cause of that. It was harder than ever to book private time since the resort started running daily, but Tom didn’t mind. He’d rather watch Voyager’s lovelies frolic in the pool in bathing suits, than play pool in their uniforms, any day.

One lovely in particular had looked especially well, lovely in her resort costume, and Tom had been cheated out of spending the evening with her by Vorik. He frowned as he remembered how smoothly the little sneak had done it. He’d nosed his way into their date, then scooped B’Elanna up and had her ensconced at a private table for two before Tom could even summon up the brain cells to voice an objection. The sneaky little weasel!

Well, it wouldn’t happen again. He was on alert now, ready to defend his territory. Almost his. He sure wanted it to be his. His eyes slid to B’Elanna and he saw that she did indeed look just as lovely in her uniform as she had looked in her luau dress. Lovely. Smashing. Stunning.

Tom felt a stabbing pain over his left eye and tensed. It was momentary, nothing more than a quick, sharp flash, then it was gone again. He let out a slow breath. He knew that Vulcans knew a form of ‘mind control’, but…

“…anything to add, Mister Paris?”

Tom came back to the present with a start. Everyone was staring at him expectantly, waiting for him to say something. He glanced at his lap – yep, he was wearing pants. It wasn’t a dream.

He cleared his throat and sat up straighter. “Love heart,” he stated. His eyes opened wide as the words registered with his brain. He tried again. “One love,” he clarified.

Janeway’s composed features puckered into a frown, and she leaned across the table toward him. “What did you say?”

“Save me,” Tom said. He coughed. B’Elanna was frowning at him, too. She had a disgusted look on her face, and he opened his mouth to tell her that he wasn’t joking around this time. “Very good.”

“Mister Paris, I don’t find this remotely funny,” Janeway warned.

“Page me,” Tom replied.

The Captain’s eyebrows drew together and she looked momentarily stunned. “What?!”

Tom jumped out of his chair and backed away from the conference table. Harry and B’Elanna had leaned back in their seats and were trading concerned looks. Tuvok, however, stood and took a step toward him.

“Be true,” Tom squeaked, his voice rising in panic

“Are you in pain, Mister Paris?” the Doctor asked. “Do you feel ill?”

He came around the end of the table and Tom instinctively held up a hand and backed away from him. His eyes flew to B’Elanna and he looked at her, pleadingly. “My girl,” he said by way of explanation.

Her own eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. Chakotay turned his head to stare at her, and Tom watched as a flush rose on her cheeks. “Lost love,” he explained softly.

“Tom, this isn’t funny anymore,” Harry cautioned.

The Doctor had begun to scan him, and Tom held out a hand toward Harry, trying to make him understand. “Goodbye for now,” he said.

“I don’t think there’s any call for ‘goodbyes’, Mister Paris. You’re not dying yet,” the Doctor intoned dryly.

“What’s wrong with him?” Janeway asked. The humor had entirely left her voice.

“Nothing,” the Doctor said succinctly. “His serotonin levels are slightly elevated, so is his blood pressure, but aside from that he’s fine. Just a little more juvenile than normal.”

The Doc turned to move away from him, but Tom grabbed his arm. He gestured to his head and blurted, “Nice girl!”

The EMH glanced at B’Elanna – who was glaring at them both – and smiled tightly. “Yes, Lieutenant Torres is a lovely person. Why don’t you come with me to sickbay. I can run a few more tests.”

Tom shook his head. The look in his eyes was pleading when he turned to the captain. “Best man,” he said.

“You want the Doctor to be your best man?” Janeway guessed, clearly at a loss. “Are you planning a wedding, Tom?”

Harry’s, “Hey! What am I?” was drowned out by B’Elanna’s outraged shout.

“Not to me he’s not!”

Tom shook his head furiously. He pushed past the doctor and moved toward B’Elanna, reaching out a hand to her. She jumped up from her chair, and Tom recognised her stance from her Klingon workout holoprogram. If his mouth didn’t start working properly, he could be in serious pain soon!

“The one I love,” he said, exasperation tingeing his voice. He stiffened and his eyes widened. Maybe if he just clamped his hand over his mouth the embarrassing phrases would stop. But, hell, he’d wanted to tell her how he felt for a long time now. B’Elanna darted a quick glance around the room, and he reached for her arm, stopping her from pulling away. “Hugs and kisses,” he said imploringly.

She shook her head a little, but didn’t try to pull away. “What’s gotten into you?” she asked softly.

Tom shrugged and shook his head. “I’m sorry.” He’d pitched his voice low. The conversation had become private, to him at least.

“You’re ill, Tom,” B’Elanna answered. “Maybe you should go to sickbay.”

Tom nodded tightly and held her gaze a moment longer before turning to follow the doctor out of the room. He could feel B’Elanna’s eyes on his back, and he wished he could ask her to come with him.

~ ~ ~

“Q? What are you doing?”

“Oh, hello Q. I’m just amusing myself while Junior takes his nap.”

“Amusing yourself how?”

“Well, I found myself thinking about your pets –”

“Captain Janeway is not my pet, my pet. She’s… a special friend.”

The female Q’s eyes narrowed. “How special?”

“Now, _mi amore_! You know you’re the only woman for me. There’s no need to be jealous.”

“There’d better not be!”

“Now tell me what you’re doing.”

“I’m tormenting the helmsman.” Her lips lifted in a smile.

“Really?”

“Mmmm. Well, you know how he has an interest in twentieth century Earth things.”

“He does?”

“Yes, B’Elanna told me – I like her! She’s got spunk!”

“Does she? And the helmsman has…?”

“He has a passion for B’Elanna.”

“Ahh, humans and their passions. So fleeting in the greater scheme of things, my love.”

“Yes, but, to them their passions are all-consuming.”

“And how does this relate to twentieth century Earth?”

“Well, I was curious, so Junior and I popped over there for a little shopping.”

“Is that where you got that outfit?”

“Yes,” she said dryly. “Do you like it?”

“On you it’s very fetching,” he assured her.

“I also found the most wonderful thing! Here, try one of these.”

“What are they? Oh, bonbons! How delightful! Thank you, _ma petite_.”

“Read it first!” she instructed.

“What an odd thing to put on a sweet, my sweet. ‘Sweet dreams’?”

~ ~ ~

“Sweet dreams!”

“Yes, I’m sure they are. No doubt you dream of Lieutenant Torres nightly,” the Doctor said. “Now hold still.”

Tom shook his head furiously and hopped down from the biobed. “Trust me,” he said.

“Implicitly, I assure you,” the Doctor answered. “Now hold still.”

“Feelings!” Tom stressed. He was getting more and more agitated, and he drew a long, slow breath trying to calm himself down.

“You have feelings for B’Elanna? I believe you’ve made that quite clear, Tom.”

Tom sighed with frustration. “The one I love,” he explained.

“Yes, I understand. And if you’ll relax and let me finish examining you, you can go be with her. Now hold still!”

There was menace in the Doctor’s voice, and Tom relented. He sat on the biobed, defeated, and watched the scanner as it traversed his body. “Forever,” he said.

“Until the end of time, I’m sure,” the Doctor agreed.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Oh, this is fun!” Q clapped his hands and smiled widely. “Let me try another.”

“Be careful! You don’t want to spill them.”

“How do I get B’Elanna to say something?”

“Well, you are Q. Just make her do it.”

“I like twentieth century Earth!” Q said happily, pulling another candy heart from the bag.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Well, don’t look at me! You know how he is, he’s always joking around. He just forgets that no one thinks he’s funny!” B’Elanna was frowning furiously, and her arms were folded in front of her like armor.

“This is a little much, even for him, B’Elanna,” Janeway said, pacing toward the viewports in her ready room. “Could that nebula we passed the other day have affected him somehow?”

“Not like this,” the Doctor denied. “Honestly, I’ve never seen anything quite like it before. It’s similar to a Terran condition called Tourette Syndrome, but it’s not presenting in the recognized way. He’s healthy, all his motor functions are normal, he just doesn’t seem to be able to control what he’s saying.” The Doctor shrugged.

“Is he fit for duty?”

“I’d say so.”

“Fine. Get him up here.”

“Laser weld his mouth shut first,” B’Elanna grumbled.

“That may be going a little too far, Lieutenant,” Janeway smiled. “We’ll just make him promise not to talk.”

“That’ll be a nice change; he can call me anytime.” A look of horror crossed B’Elanna’s face and she clapped a hand to her mouth.

“Not you too?” Janeway said. “Whatever it is, Doctor, it appears to be spreading. I want them quarantined until you figure out what’s causing this!”

The Doctor nodded and, wisely, kept his mouth shut.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

B’Elanna hadn’t said anything for the last twenty minutes. Tom sat facing her, equally silent, wondering what the hell he was going to do. He didn’t dare trust his mouth. Maybe the Doc had a spare PADD lying around. He risked a glance at her, and caught her chewing her lip, openly staring at him. He felt the urge to apologize, even though he didn’t know what it was he had, or how he could have given it to her. “Save me,” he blurted out.

B’Elanna glared at him and drew in a furious breath. “Forever!” she accused. She pressed her lips together and glared harder.

“Believe me, Lieutenants, it only feels like forever,” the Doctor droned from his office.

“Very good!” B’Elanna shouted.

“Now, now, don’t get agitated,” the Doctor replied. “I’m trying to concentrate.”

“Your guy,” Tom added helpfully.

“Come near,” B’Elanna answered.

Her eyes grew round when she realized what she’d said, but Tom slid off his biobed and took a few steps toward her. “Long goodbye?” he asked softly. He tried to tell her with his expression that he was sorry. He reached for her hand and held it gently. “For you my love.”

B’Elanna’s breath caught. She parted her lips, then closed them again, not trusting herself to speak. Finally, she summoned the courage. “You are so fine,” she said hesitantly.

Tom’s eyes roved her face, and he leaned closer to her. “Best man?” he asked.

She nodded, her eyes caught by the blue fire in his. As she leaned toward him, she whispered. “Sweet dreams.”

“This is more like a nightmare.” The Doctor’s acerbic comment sliced through the sexual tension in the room, replacing it with plain, old regular tension. B’Elanna jerked away from Tom’s embrace and jumped down off the biobed.

“Your guy,” Tom called plaintively.

“True one!” she accused, heading for the door.

“See here, where are you going?” the Doctor called after her. He sprinted from his office to catch her, but it wasn’t necessary. The doors opened as she approached them, and Captain Janeway walked into sickbay.

“Anything new to report, Doctor?” she asked.

B’Elanna stopped short in front of the captain and pointed a finger at Tom. “Trust me,” she fumed.

“B’Elanna, relax,” Janeway said. She looked at the Doctor. “I take it this means that you haven’t found a way to help them?”

“Hold me tight,” Tom called from the biobed. Janeway stifled a laugh.

“I can help them,” a voice called from the doctor’s office.

Everyone in the room turned to stare at the familiar sound. Haughty, throaty, rawly feminine. “Q!” Janeway accused.

The female Q lounged on the edge of the desk. She reached into a clear bag and withdrew something, then popped it into her mouth.

“Long goodbye!” B’Elanna gritted and started toward the office. The look on her face was menacing.

Tom lunged at her, and caught her by the upper arms and pulled her to a stop. As he opened his mouth to speak, Q appeared, dipped his hand into the bag and pulled out a small pink object.

“My lady!” Tom accused.

Both Qs dissolved into fits of laughter, propping each other up on the desk. “Oh, this is too rich!” Q snorted.

Janeway pushed Tom and B’Elanna out of her way and stormed up to the Qs. “I take it you two have something to do with this? This isn’t a laughing matter!”

“Oh, there you’re wrong, dear,” the female Q said. “It’s hysterical!”

“What have you done to my people?!” Janeway practically shouted. “I demand that you stop this now!”

“Of course, _ma capitaine_! It can be mended easily.”

Janeway gritted her teeth. “How?”

“Why, with a kiss.” He smiled benevolently at her.

The female Q’s wide grin drew down into a frown. “What?!” she demanded.

“Not from Kathryn, my love. Them.” He indicated Tom and B’Elanna, who stood seething at the end of the row of biobeds.

Tom felt B’Elanna tense beneath his hands, then she relaxed against his chest as if all the fight had suddenly gone out of her. She looked at the Doctor imploringly, but he just shrugged and threw his hands in the air. She turned and stared at Tom as if she was facing a firing squad, then tilted her head back, offering him her mouth.

Tom licked his lips and stared at her. A dream come true, he thought. Except in his dreams she looked a little more eager and a lot less resigned. He angled his head, then slowly lowered his mouth to hers. He brushed his lips across hers tentatively, then applied more pressure as he slid his arms around her. Her hands came up to his shoulders, her fingers digging into his upper arms, and she parted her lips slightly and began to kiss him back.

Tom brought a hand to her cheek and held her securely. He’d meant to keep it light, a fairy tale ‘wake the princess’ kiss, but once he tasted her, felt the warmth of her breath, his head began to spin and he couldn’t let her go. It had nothing to do with the spell that was on them, he was sure. That was just the way B’Elanna affected him.

Eventually he raised his head and stared at her. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips plump from his kisses. Her eyes were smoky and dazed as she stared back at him. He heard a rustling, and opened his mouth to speak. “You are nice,” he said.

B’Elanna’s eyebrow shot up, and she pulled out of Tom’s embrace and whirled on Q with a furious expression in her once passion-filled eyes. Q jumped behind the female Q – a wise move, Tom thought. “A little joke,” Q said. “Ha ha.”

“I’m not laughing, Q,” Janeway’s tone was lethal.

“Oh, everyone relax,” the female Q said. She held up the bag and shook it. “There’s only one heart left, then the game is over, I’m afraid. Shall we see what it says?”

Tom glanced at B’Elanna. She looked uncertain. He stomped his foot to get the Qs’ attention, then pointed to himself. He stood straight and tall, and turned to face B’Elanna.

“Oh goody, let me go!” Q said with glee.

The female Q sighed. “You’re worse than Junior,” she said. “Here.” She thrust the bag at him, and he fished around in it noisily, drawing out the moment.

Janeway glared muttered an impatient, “Get on with it.”

“Spoilsport!”

A slight rustling, then: “Sweet kiss.” Tom said the words softly, barely above a whisper. “I meant every word, B’Elanna. I’ve just never been able to say them until now.”

B’Elanna released a breath, and a smile trembled on her lips. “Tom, I – I…” She pulled him into a passionate kiss, and Tom held her possessively, kissing her back for all he was worth.

~ ~ ~

A flash of light, and Kathryn Janeway found herself, the Doctor and both Qs in her ready room.

“I thought we should give the lovebirds some privacy,” Q said.

“Very sweet of you, Q,” the female Q said.

“It was the least I could do,” Q replied with a nose-nuzzle for his mate.

“Are you through?” Janeway asked, her voice like iced gravel.

“I suppose so,” the female Q replied. She tipped the cellophane bag upside down. “We’ve run out of candy hearts.”

“Then get off my ship,” the captain growled.

Q jumped up and saluted. “Yes, ma’am!”

~ ~ ~

“Q, I want to go back.”

“To _Voyager_? We just got home.”

“Not _Voyager_ – twentieth century Earth.”

“Oh, pul-lease! Not for the spring line!” he shuddered. “All that awful polyester! Even you couldn’t pull that off, my sweet.”

“Don’t be insane – I’d look foolish in fringes.” She waved a hand at him dismissively. “I want another bag of candy. Janeway looked a little frazzled to me.”

“You’re right, my love. I’m sure if she let her hair down, she’d feel much better.”

“I’m sure. So who do you think should help her pull the pins out her bun?” the female Q asked.

“That first officer of hers is awfully dreary, don’t you agree?”

“Oh, good choice, Q! He could definitely use some loosening up. Let’s go –”

Q smiled at his beloved and pulled an object from behind his back. It crinkled. His beloved beamed at him. “You’re always thinking of me,” she said with a smile.

They shared a grin, and Q drew a small heart from the bag. “Come near,” he said huskily.

The bag rustled. “Hold me tight,” she replied.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

end.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, that was silly, but aside from editing for clarity and formatting problems, I promised myself I'd post these as written. I've noticed that there was (I had?) a trend to blame Q for everything, back in the day. ?? Maybe just me, at the time.


End file.
